


we had it made in the middle of the madness

by ellalopez



Category: iZombie (TV)
Genre: F/M, i will take this to the grave, missing scene in series finale, the proposal we deserved
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-05
Updated: 2019-08-05
Packaged: 2020-07-30 11:26:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,255
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20096503
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ellalopez/pseuds/ellalopez
Summary: peyton charles, now undead, only has one mission in mind: to find ravi chakrabarti.





	we had it made in the middle of the madness

**RAVI **usually isn't the type to cry and whine like a baby and drink until he passes out after a breakup. He moves on, watches reruns of Vertigo and Zombie High, and focuses on whatever case Clive's assigned to him and Liv that day. It's how it's always been.

Of course, that changes when he meets Peyton Charles, Liv's best friend, and an assistant district attorney of New Seattle. She's not his usual type; career-driven, instead of Instagram obsessed and unmotivated; she's up once the sun rises and cooks him breakfast, instead of him having to drag her out of bed at noon. She listens to him, and rarely dismisses his thoughts and rambles, blurting out scientific hypotheses and even throwing out suggestions and improvements. They aren't perfect, but Ravi likes to think they're pretty damn close.

Flash forward to the present and she's gone, in a better place than the mass destruction that they call home, and Ravi's left to deal with the aftermath. He cradles his bruised and scratched up face in one hand and grips the porch railing with the other, knuckles white and bloody from wrestling with Enzo. He staggers up the steps to the front door, hands shaking as the key twists in the lock. The door swings open, and a memory of Peyton resurfaces, hitting him in waves of grief. Her brown, near auburn tinged hair, curled at the ends, his hands tangled in it. Her concerned, piercing green eyes cutting through the thick haze of the freshly showered, recovering junkie's brain. This was where she first kissed him before they got back together, in the hallway with sunlight streaming in through the windows. She showed up, shy and hesitant, gratefulness in her eyes. She told him later, as they cuddled on the couch, how thrilled the family was, the kid's excited squeals and awestruck mother. How she couldn't have done it without him.

Now, Ravi isn't sure how he can do his monthly zombie, mainly human life without her by his side.

He collapses to the ground, reduced to pain and anger and mourning, the small velvet box in his pant pocket a firm reminder of what they could've had. Peyton was the only one for him.

He stays there for a while, face buried in his hands as he sits, incapable of going inside. He can't put her mug away in the cabinet, neatly press the box of her favourite cereal he always has stocked flat. The sheets still have her imprint, the pillowcase stained faintly with her makeup.

As Ravi breaks down, Peyton shuffles up the driveway, now free of the ball and chain, thanks to her and Liv's combined super strength. She moves faster when she sees Ravi, the sight destroying her, and almost trips on the stairs. She lets out a choked laugh, and kneels to his level, wrapping her arms around him. Ravi turns to look at her, marvelling at her survival, then sobs quietly into her shoulder.

"Hey, you." Peyton bites back a grin, and Ravi lets go, his eyes wide and unsure if he's hallucinating or not. _She's fine. Peyton's fine._

"Peyton- you're-" He's stuttering, and Peyton squeezes his hand in reassurance.

"Undead? Yeah, that son of a bitch Blaine scratched me." Ravi grimaces at the mention of his name, but beckons for her to continue. "I mean, if he didn't scratch me, I'd probably be bleeding out on concrete so..." She shrugs, offering a crooked smile, the strand of platinum white hair falling in her eyes. Ravi just shakes his head and grips her hand tighter, pulling her up so they're both standing.

"I have a cure, you know," he starts. Peyton snorts, unable to help herself.

"What, Zombie Peyton not good enough for you?" She teases, and Ravi fires back, sweet as ever.

"Quite the contrary, actually. She's bloody hot and way out of my league." They both laugh, and Peyton tugs him closer, pressing a chaste kiss to his lips.

"I love you, you know that, right? I never stopped believing in you for a second. On my way here, I knew you were making that cure and saving the world. I'm so proud of you, baby."

Ravi's silent for a moment, then rests his forehead against hers, his voice low. "I had a sliver of hope that you'd still be alive. That, and getting justice was what kept me going. Oh, and this is definitely the worst possible time to do this, but I don't want to lose you ever again and..."

He sinks to one knee, not-so-effortlessly getting the ring box out of his pocket, fumbling and dropping it. He grabs it quickly, popping it open, and for the hundredth time that day, Peyton's eyes well up. _She was going to marry this guy._

(Her own purchased gold band for Ravi shifts in her pocket, her plan to propose to _him _once he returned from Atlanta itching at her.)

"Peyton Charles and maybe soon to be Charles-Chakrabarti, you are, quite simply, the love of my life. When I didn't misinterpret you flirting back about my lame joke about the kid's magazine I was reading, that was it for me. I was kicking ass in Word Scramble, by the way," he says, glancing at her in a way that makes her heart do backflips. Maintaining her composure was such a huge part of doing her job and not losing her mind at the ridiculous cases she was presented as former DA and acting mayor; but with Ravi around, she was free to feel however she wanted. She was rarely judged by him, even when she was stressing over her next interview, pacing back and forth frantically in their shared room. Even when all she could talk about was work, her thoughts a scrambled mess, he comforted her and whispered words of encouragement. He made her feel safe and at home, no matter where they were.

"I'll admit, I was a jerk beyond compare when you were with Blaine, and I'm sorry. Truly. I was jealous and blinded by it, and you deserved better than how I treated you. I'm glad we've come to the same conclusion that he's an asshole, though." Peyton nudges him with her foot, eyes twinkling.

"He _is_ the reason I'm still here, babe. Can we at least offer him that one percent of redemption?"

"Yeah, alright," Ravi agrees begrudgingly. "Point is, despite all that drama, you didn't give up on me. You're stuck with me for the rest of your life now, whether you like it or not."

"Is there a question?" Peyton asks, smirking, and Ravi takes her hands in his, holding them like she's an anchor pinning him to Earth.

"Will you marry me?"

Peyton lets go of one hand and reaches into her back pocket, fishing for the ring she bought for him. She lowers herself, mirroring Ravi's position, and chuckles at the expression on his face.

"Only if you marry me first."

-

_"You're kidding me, right? We leave you two alone for a few hours and you're a zombie, then you get engaged?!"_

_"What can I say? I had to lock him down, Lilywhite."_

_"In case you're forgetting, I proposed first. You just had to steal my thunder."_

_"That is so unfeminist of you! I'm calling this off. Liv, back me up."_

_"Don't drag me into this! I'm so happy for you guys, really. Major, you should take notes."_

_"What?!"_

_"All of you are officially uninvited from the wedding."_

**Author's Note:**

> *slides checkbook and a copy of this fic to rob thomas* get to it!


End file.
